Worry No More About Our Dog When Going Out... From Play to Training with 'PetToy'

Playing Ball Remotely with Pets via App... Training for External Noise
Product Development Through Customer Meetings... "Continuous Expansion of Pet Services"

A pet playing ball through a pet toy. Photo by LG Uplus

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] LG Uplus has launched a pet-dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) service called 'PetToy' and is targeting 3 million pet-owning households. It aims to precisely meet customer demand by providing both play and training for pets left alone at home.

According to Statistics Korea, as of November 2020, there were 3,129,000 pet-owning households in South Korea. The Korea International Trade Association forecasted that the domestic pet market size would grow at an average annual rate of 8%, from $1.48 billion (2.1 trillion KRW) in 2017 to $2.79 billion (3.9 trillion KRW) by 2026.

PetToy is a smart home service designed for one- or two-person pet households who frequently leave home for long hours, such as for work. Owners can remotely play nose work games to find treats inside toys and play fetch via the app even when outside the home, and can observe playtime in real-time through integration with home CCTV.

Remote Fetch Play with Pets via App... Training for Everyday Noise While Playing

On the 13th, I attended a PetToy service demonstration held at LG Uplus’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. When the demonstrator pressed the 'Fetch' button on the U+ Smart Home app, a notification sound played and a ball rolled down from PetToy. The dogs participating in the demonstration happily played by opening the ball with their mouths and paws to get the treats inside. At the same time, the 'AI Mom Cam' CCTV showed the scene live to the owner. Owners can check their pets playing fetch through the app even when away from home, easing their worries.

The app allows users to set the time for the ball to be dispensed, just like setting an alarm, reducing concerns during long absences such as work hours. The app also shows the number of remaining balls and the results of the fetch play.

PetToy comes with four dedicated balls made of non-toxic silicone material for pet safety. Users can purchase additional balls of various types to increase play difficulty. The dedicated balls come in three types: the ‘Maze type,’ where treats are embedded inside internal structures; the ‘Rolling type,’ where pets must roll the ball to release treats; and the ‘Churu type,’ where liquid treats are coated on the ball’s surface. Small-sized balls can be used for small dogs with small mouths and paws, or intelligent pets can use a large ball containing a smaller ball, adapting to their characteristics.

While remote feeders and treat robots for pets have existed, they had limitations such as simply dispensing food on a schedule or causing fear due to unfamiliar forms. LG Uplus developed PetToy delicately over two years, reducing noise by lowering dispensing speed, among other improvements. Yeom Sang-pil, head of LG Uplus Home IoT Product Division, and Yoo Tae-ho, team leader of the Home IoT Pet Product Team, who led PetToy’s development, both have experience raising pets.

Yeom Sang-pil, head of LG Uplus Home IoT Products, is answering reporters' questions. Photo by LG Uplus

Yeom said, "When we deeply analyzed the needs of pet-owning customers, they mainly fell into two categories: pet health and care during absence. We have released home CCTV, remote feeders, and treat robots and have been continuously gathering feedback. We believe that by gradually increasing customer value, we can create products and services that bring changes to customers’ daily lives."

The most eye-catching feature of PetToy is the training sound function. It repeatedly plays everyday noises during fetch play to reduce pets’ sensitivity to noise. When the fetch sound effect setting is selected in the app, one of about 20 everyday noises such as doorbells, bells, thunder, or dog sounds can be played at the start of fetch play. The types of training sounds will be updated in the future. Before seeing the product, there was concern that the training sounds might become another source of noise, but after hearing it, it is not loud enough to cause worries about noise between floors.

An LG Uplus official said, "We implemented a mechanism through the device to turn negative experiences into positive ones. When operating a trial group, we confirmed that pet behavior improves after repeating the training for as little as 3-4 days, with an average of one week."

Team leader Yoo said, "The training function is novel and seems to appeal to customers. We are continuously looking for other customer needs beyond the absent play training function. We plan to develop a second and third version of PetToy."

"I Feel Heartbroken Seeing My Pet Dog Lethargic When I Go to Work" Developed Based on Customer Demand... Continuous Expansion of Pet Services

PetToy originated from actual customer demand at LG Uplus. Yeom said, "There is an event called Customer Meeting Day, where a customer in their early 30s said they kept checking the CCTV at work because they were worried about their dog, but felt heartbroken seeing the dog so lethargic. Just watching the CCTV does not solve the problem. We aim for total care service. We thought about creating a device that not only informs customers of problems but also solves them."

Lee Chan-jong, director of Isak Dog Training Center, who participated as an advisor in PetToy’s production, predicted it would be useful for pets with separation anxiety symptoms such as dogs that bark at the sound of the doorbell, dogs that make a mess when the owner is away, and lethargic pets that only sleep at home.

Yeom said, "LG Uplus strives to resolve customer inconveniences through care during absence using devices. In addition, we distributed a dog temperament analysis DBTI content last August. We plan to continuously expand pet-related services by integrating devices and content."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.